Around this time of year, almost everyone has one thing in common: trying to come up with a new year's resolutions. Many of these include losing weight, saving money, and enjoying life more. The other common denominator between said new year's resolutions is the small percentage of resolutions that are kept up throughout the year. We all remember our parents continuously saying they're going to work out at the start of the new year, yet hitting the snooze button through their morning workout every day until their failed resolution is nothing but a distant memory, or altogether forgotten. So what gives? Why is it that we annually say we're going to do something, yet rarely succeed?

I believe this has to do with our choice of resolutions. As I mentioned, we can easily list out the most popular ones, and I find this to be a problem. If we are to be making a statement of change that we would like to work towards the following year, then why is it that our statements are all the same? A true desire for change should be one from within, which would in turn create a more diverse and unique array of resolutions every year.

Yes, there are overarching desires in life, but I believe that new year's resolutions are not the place to encourage taking action in these realms. While health is important, if it requires a new year's resolution to begin working out, then the passion is not truly there and will most likely fail eventually. In contrast, I believe that new year's resolutions are an opportunity for one to get out of their shell. This is about you as an individual, and what youwant out of another year. Make a resolution to visit more museums, to spend more time with loved ones, to take an art class. Experiences are worth more than anything else, and I believe that resolutions are the perfect time to generate that motivation to begin them.

A resolution is not, and should not, be something that you should already be doing. Working out is a basic necessity to staying healthy, and it would be a waste to spend your new year's resolutions on something like that. This is an opportunity to enhance your life in a way you otherwise wouldn't, and remind yourself that every year is a chance to create more memories. As you create these, you are not held back by what you did or did not do the previous year. The possibilities are endless, and most importantly can let you come out of another year a better person than you were before. As Brad Paisley said, "Tomorrow is the first blank page in a 365 day book. Write a good one."

Happy New Year's!